Display sign structure



April 8, 1958 J. J. MARCIN DISPLAY SIGN STRUCTURE Filed March 29, 1956 Z)wmvron? K jasga/z- NA RZI'l/V /v Arr) DISPLAY SIGN STRUCTURE Joseph J.Marcin, Chicago, 111., assignor to Spanjer Brothers, Inc., Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 29, 1956, Serial No.574,764 1 Claim. c1. 40-140 The invention relates toimprovements indisplay devices and is particularly concerned with a display of a typehaving characters such as letters or numerals individually mountedthereon for easy and quick rearrang ment and adjustment and in suchmanner that the characters are located closely against the front surfaceof a background panel or wall.

Display devices of the general character of the sign disclosed hereinfrequently have' the characters provided with mounting screws thatextend entirely through the body of the character for cooperativeengagement with nuts for securing them onto a slotted mounting bararrangedron the front face of the mounting panel or other backgroundsurface. The structureof such displays is such that the appearance ofthe display is detracted from bythe presence of the heads of themounting screws on the front or display face of the characters and alsobecause the structure and mounting of the characters are such that thecharacters are spaced an excessive distance in front of the mountingpanel or background surface. Furthermore, such prior types of mountingsare frequently devoid of any satisfactory means to insure that thecharacters are not misaligned vertically.

In the present disclosure the characters and their mounting are suchthat there are no exposed mounting elements on the front display surfaceof the characters and the characters are held firmly in verticalalignment on an unslotted mounting bar in close proximity to themounting panel or background surface. vIn order to accomplish theseadvantages the display characters in one disclosed embodiment arerecessed ontheir back faces to receive the mounting bar therein, saidrecesses including end edges that embrace the mounting bar "to preventmisalignment vertically. The characters are provided also with at leasttwo spaced apart machine screws threaded into their back faces andlocated to cause their heads to engageover opposite longitudinal edgemargins of the mounting bar so that when tightened the character isclamped firmly to thebarfi These screws alsofunctionto insureverticalalignment of the characters and their heads are below the planesurface of the back faces of the characters. In another embodimentdisclosed herein the screws, which are threaded into the back face ofthe character, have their heads engaged over recessed longitudinalmargins or ledges on the mounting bar thus providing for closeassociation between the mounting bar and its panel or surface andbetween the characters and the mounting bar.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide novellyconstructed displays of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide display characters with novel means ontheir back faces with mounting them for easy arrangement on the mountingbar.

Another object is to provide a display character having headed mountingscrews engaged in and projecting rearwardly from the rear surfacethereof.

Another object is to provide a novel structure for mounting characterson a supporting surface in closely spaced relationship to the front faceof said surface.

7 taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a 'modified.

ice

Another object is to provide a display which is not expensive toconstruct, is easy to assemble, very ruggedly constructed and pleasingin appearance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel featuresof construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, i1-

lustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly. pointed out inthe appended claims, it being understood that various changes in theform, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advan-,

tages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, 1 haveillustrated in the accompanying drawings preferredembodiments thereof,from an inspection of which, when considered in .connection with thefollowing description, by invention, its mode of construction, assemblyandoperation, and many of its advantages should be readily understoodand appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference areemployed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings: a

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of a display embodying featuresof the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the back face ofa eharacter embodyingfeatures of the invention, showing it mounted on a supported bar.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical seetionalview form ofconstruction.

Fig.5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view takensubstantially on line 5-5 of Fig, 4. Referring to thedisclosures in theaccompanying drawings and particularly to Fig. l, the display embodyingone embodiment of the present invention consists of a plurality' ofcharacters 11 each'of which may be a letter of the alphabet, a numeralor other representation, mutually spaced apart along a support bar 12.The support bar 12 is secured 'in any suitable manner preferably at itsends as at 13 to a support surface 14 which may be'the back ground panelof a display sign or the wall of a building or the like. In theembodiment of the invention specifically disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3, thecharacter 11 may be fabricated from any suitablematerial, such as castor stamped metal, including a front wall 15 and rearwardly extendingmarginal flanges 16. v In the character illustrated, the

;, marginal flanges 16 are suitably cut-out or recessed, as at 17,inwardly from the rearmost edges thereof substantiallymidway from the'upper'and lower extremities of that the recesses 17 are of a greaterdepth than the thickness of the bar 12 so that the rearwardly disposedface 19 of said bar is located inwardly a substantial distance from therearmost face of the flanges 16, for a purpose to become apparentpresently. If desired the forwardly disposed face of the bar 12 may beornamented as for example by providing thereon the longitudinal fluting21.

The character 11 is firmly secured in any selected position oflongitudinal adjustment along the bar 12 by means of headed elements 22.As shown, these elements preferably comprise machine screws having athreaded stem 23 threadingly engaged in a tapped boss 24 on the backtransversely extending bar 12,.with the stem portion '23 1 thereof insubstantial abutment with the related side edge of said bar soas tofurther insure vertical align ment of the character relative to the bar12. The head 25 of each threaded element 22 is brought into tightbinding engagement with the back face 19 of the .bar 12 so as to securethe character 11 in a selected position of longitudinal adjustment alongthe bar.12. It should be quite apparent that the characters 11 can beeasily and quickly removed from the supporting bar 12 by removal ofeither or both of the headed elements 22 and that when said elements aretightened, the character 11 is firmly anchored in place thereon.Loosening of the headed elements permits the character 11 to be shiftedalong the bar 12.

This construction affords an assembly which is devoid of any visiblemounting on the front face of the character and because the bar 12 andthe heads 25 of the threaded elements 22 are located inwardly of therear edge of the flanges 16, the characters may be mounted closelyagainst the background panel or other supporting wall surface 14.

Referring now to the specific construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5,the character 11a may be constructed similar to the character 11including a front wall 15 and rearwardly extending marginal flanges 16or if desired it maybe made solid. In this disclosure the mounting bar12a is provided on each of its longitudinal edges with marginal recessesdefining longitudinal ledges or shoulders 26, the surfaces of which areoffset from the rearmost face 19a of the supporting bar by a distanceequal to or greater than the height of the heads of the mountingelements 22. The mounting elements 22 are preferably,

machine screws and, although four are shown, at least two such elementsare provided on each character 11a, one on either side of the supportingbar 12a so that their heads 25 will overlie and bear against the ledges26 for securing the character 11a in any position of longitudinaladjustment lengthwise of the bar- 121:. The, threaded mounting elements22 function also to align the characters 11a vertically with respect tothe horizontal supporting bar 12a and inasmuch as the heads 25 thereoflie inwardly of the back face 19a of said supporting bar, the bar may besecured flat against the background panel or wall surface 14 so as tominimize the spacing between the character 11a and said panel orsurface.

It should be quite evident that, although the present disclosureillustrates a mounting including'a single supporting bar, the featuresof the invention may be embodied in an installation requiring two ormore such bars. I

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly,and many of its advantages should be readily understood from theforegoing without further description, and it should also be manifestthat while two embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed for illustrative purposes, the structural details arenevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of myinvention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

A display sign device adapted to be mounted to the vertical planarsurface of a background member, said device comprising a displaycharacter having a vertical planar portion, the latter having a frontface and a rear face, a flange fixed to the periphery of said planarportion and extending rearwardly therefrom, said flange having a rearvertical edge, said flange having a recess therein extending forwardlyfrom said rear vertical edge, said recess having a vertical surfacelocated intermediate said rear edge of the flange and said rear face ofsaid planar portion, a horizontally extending support bar having anapproximately planar vertical forward surface and a planar verticalrearward surface, said support bar extending through said recess in saidflange and extending in a direction substantially parallel to saidplanar portion, said forward surface of said support bar abuttingagainst said vertical surface of said recess, said rearward surface ofsaid support bar being spaced forwardly of said rear edge of saidflange, and a plurality of securing members extending approximatelyperpendicular to said planar portion, each of said securing membershaving a forward end with means thereon to fixedly secure said forwardend to said planar portion, each of said forward ends of said securingmembers being located rearwardly of said front face of said planarportion, said front face of said planar portion being continuous andconcealing said securing members, each of said securing members havingan enlarged head thereon adjacent the rearward end thereof, each of saidenlarged heads having a forward shoulder surface abutting against therearward surface of said,

support bar to maintain the forwardsurface of the support bar inabutting engagement with said vertical surface of said recess, theextreme rearward end of each of said securing members being locatedforwardly of said rear vertical edge of the flange, the front face ofsaid planar portion being uninterrupted by said securing members, thelatter being concealed by said planar portion, whereby the rear edge ofsaid flange may be located in abutting relation to or closely adjacentto said vertical surface of said background member without obstructionor interference by said securing members.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

